


Until We Ask

by resevius



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Ambiguity, Gen, M/M, Sibling Banter, debate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-06
Updated: 2013-08-06
Packaged: 2017-12-22 15:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/914855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/resevius/pseuds/resevius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two names on a Christmas gift, and an interested Metamorphmagus. Could Remus and Sirius be a couple? What could the Weasleys think? Set mid-OotP.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Until We Ask

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns the characters, all but one of the pranks, and the setting.  
> Disclaimer #2: I can't take full credit for all of the arguments presented here. Some of them are paraphrased from  
> Elwing. “The Case for R/S: Version 2.5.” Retrieved from LiveJournal.  
> and  
> Moonlitwoods. “Remus/Sirius V. Remus/Tonks in Canon: Contrast and Compare.” Retrieved from LiveJournal.  
> Thanks to both for the inspiration!

Ginny found the twins seated in a corner of the crowded common room. Perfect. After the DA disaster, she preferred busy spaces for private conversations. “I need to talk to you,” she said, sitting beside Fred. “About Harry.”  
“At your service,” said Fred cheerfully. “Are you going to ask him outright, or would you prefer a more elaborate affair?”  
She didn't blink. “I could ask you the same thing. What do you think would be the best way for Harry to talk to Sirius?”  
They stared at her, taken aback.  
“Harry wants to talk to Sirius?” asked George.  
“Yes, and if anyone can make it happen, you two can.”  
“Wise deduction there, sis.” Fred reached into his bag and withdrew ink, quill and parchment. “And an excellent opportunity for us to cause a little mayhem. Now, let's see...”  
Ginny watched, interested, as Fred began to write out an idea involving Umbridge's evening pumpkin juice and a Puking Pastille.  
“Did Harry say why he fancies a chat with Sirius?” asked George.  
Ginny shook her head. “He's looked very down lately, though. Like something's bothering him.”  
“Maybe he's figured out that Sirius and Remus--” Fred began, but stopped when George elbowed him. When Fred looked at him, George pointed to a line on the parchment. “Too simple, Fred. Umbridge would recover before Harry even reached the seventh floor. Besides, we want Umbridge away from her office, not the whole school to lose their appetites.”  
Fred nodded and crossed out the line.  
“I wondered that myself,” said Ginny, taking out her wand and a small rubber ball. “I'm surprised Sirius and Remus haven't said anything, especially seeing as Harry hates being left in the dark. You'd think they'd want him to know if they're together.” She waved her wand and watched intently as the ball began to zoom around her.  
The twins exchanged a surprised look. “You think they're a couple, too?” asked Fred.  
Ginny caught the ball just as it whizzed past her face. “It's obvious, isn't it? They live together, they stay close to each other if they're in the same room ... you yourselves told me they put both their names on Harry's Christmas gift.”  
“I think they had to, Ginny,” said George patiently. “Remus isn't exactly well-off and Sirius can hardly walk into Gringots anymore. Come to think of it, those books might have even been a hand-me-down.” Taking the quill from Fred, he began to write something.  
“No one else got anything from Remus as far as we know,” Ginny pointed out, unperturbed, “and Harry hasn't contacted him with any regularity since he taught here. Why put his name on that gift at all? Unless the books were his...”  
“Seems an odd choice of gift from a couple, though,” Fred mused. He was digging through his pockets while reading George's plan. “I mean, wouldn't they want to give their surrogate son something more -- suggestive?”  
Ginny stared at him, incredulous. Then she cursed when she was hit by her own ball. “What kind of presumption is that?” she demanded, rubbing her head. “Do Mum and Dad give us romantic photos of them for our birthdays? No way! What they get up to isn't our business.”  
“Looking for this?” George handed Fred a suspicious-looking black bulb with legs and Fred thanked him. Turning back to his sister, he said, “Fred and I give joint presents all the time. Does that mean that he and I are snogging?”  
Fred shuddered. “Thank you for that image.”  
“You and Fred are identical,” was Ginny's matter-of-fact reply. “But since we're making comparisons, I think Remus and Sirius are much more physically comfortable with each other than the two of you have ever been. And they come from an older generation. Even today, two men touching each other more than necessary, no matter how platonic, makes people wonder.”  
“Case in point,” Fred remarked. “I don't think the Decoy Detonator will last long enough either, George.”  
George shrugged and crossed out the line.  
“And don't get me started on how much they look at each other,” Ginny went on relentlessly, releasing the rubber ball into the air again. “They fix their eyes on one another more than Ron and Hermione! But neither of them is awkward about it.”  
“Remus does look at Sirius quite a lot,” Fred agreed thoughtfully.  
“Imagine that,” George snorted, “a responsible ex-prefect keeping an eye on his escaped-convict FRIEND!”  
George's ardent emphasis on the f word made Ginny smile to herself. Getting her quiet brother a little riled up was quite entertaining.  
“You know, when you put it that way, that might be the reason Remus moved into Grimmauld Place in the first place.” Fred sounded torn. “To babysit Sirius.”  
“Babysitting, huh?” Ginny had a very creepy smirk on her face. “Oh, how that can be twisted.”  
George made a strangled sort of yelping noise and dropped whatever he'd just taken from his pocket. Ginny saw a small ball of white streak across the room and explode with a soft poof against Angelina Johnson's dark head. Angelina whipped around, squinting furiously through a dusting of white feathers, but the twins appeared to be looking for whatever they had dropped. Ginny shrugged at Angelina and the pranked girl turned away.  
Re-emerging with what looked like a spare quill in his hand, George gaped at the demure-looking Ginny. “Who are you?” he said hoarsely.  
Ginny folded her arms huffily. “I'm your almost-fifteen-year-old sister.”  
George appealed to his brother, but Fred was looking at the youngest Weasley with a mixture of amusement and pride on his face. Resigned, George tried to bring the discussion back.  
“Okay, here's something to think about. If Remus and Sirius are a couple, why do they still look like they do? All -- you know -- unkempt and shabby? Wouldn't they want to try to fix each other up for one another? They are wizards after all.”  
“They're two grown men reunited after twelve long years,” said Ginny sagely. “I doubt their biggest concern is how they look.” She smirked again at George. “Besides, they both look a little wild, but vulnerable too. Kind of sexy, I'd say.”  
George, however, was on a roll. “But why were they separate for twelve years? If they were that close, where was Remus when Sirius was chucked in Azkaban? Not mooning over his love, if you ask me. He avoided the issue altogether in our fifth year.”  
“He got a little upset on the one occasion Sirius was brought up in class,” Ginny remembered. “Colin Creevey said something about the sighting they reported in the Profit and he actually dropped his chalk. He changed the subject rather quickly, too. Quite a show of emotion for Remus.”  
George seemed nonplussed, but Ginny shrugged, still following her own train of thought.  
“Honestly, we don't know enough about their school days to say they were or weren't together before now.”  
Fred, who had been watching Angelina pluck feathers from her hair for the last minute, looked around. “Speaking of their school days, I don't think either of them has mentioned a girlfriend in all the time we've talked to them.”  
“That's true,” Ginny agreed eagerly. “I saw that picture of them in the Order. They were both very good looking. Wouldn't Sirius at least have been a player?”  
“I could see that.” Fred frowned.  
George made a dismissive gesture. “The life of a Marauder's rather busy, you know. Not much time for romance.”  
“Officially taken on the title, have you?” Ginny teased, but something seemed to have occurred to Fred.  
“What about Tonks?”  
George jumped on the suggestion. “Yeah, Ginny, what about Tonks. She and Remus spend a lot of time together and Remus seems to really like her.”  
For the first time since they'd started discussing, Ginny looked unsettled. She fixed thoughtful eyes on the floating ball in front of her, but when she moved to grab it, it flew away again. “That could be a problem ... for all three of them. If Remus and Sirius are together, someone's in for a broken heart.”  
Fred didn't like the crease between Ginny's eyebrows and spoke placatingly. “Remus is more careful than that. He'd make sure things were cool as the Giant Squid's tentacles with Sirius before trying anything with Tonks.”  
Ginny still looked uncertain. “Would it be worth it, though? Remus is much older than Tonks. He's -- sadder than she is.”  
“Sirius is bitterer than Remus,” Fred countered. “With that logic, neither couple works. But, happy lovers or not, I don't think one excludes the other.”  
In an apparent effort to revitalize the conversation, George interjected, “Hey, on the loose topic of love triangles, don't you think Sirius talks an awful lot about Harry's dad?”  
“They were best friends, George,” Ginny protested. Her movement was very cat-like as she caught the ball. “Practically brothers. I reckon Sirius still misses him terribly. Besides,” she continued when George opened his mouth, “Sirius strikes me as the type who would put friends before anything, even a lover.”  
“Wouldn't that bother Remus, just a little?” George argued.  
“Remus doesn't seem the jealous type,” Fred observed, “and even if he is, what does he have to be jealous of now? Or ever? Mr. Potter was too busy chasing his future wife when they were younger.”  
“Kind of like Sirius is busy keeping Harry safe these days,” George said triumphantly, as Harry himself climbed through the portrait hole with Ron and Hermione. “If Remus is the love of Sirius' life, why does he get to go out on dangerous Order missions while Harry's kept safe and sound?”  
“Remus can take care of himself,” said Ginny.  
“So can Harry,” George insisted. “He's escaped You-Know-Who -- what, four times now? -- and taught us some very advanced magic in the DA. It looks to me like Sirius cares more about Harry than Remus. Loves him more?”  
Now George was getting dagger eyes from both his siblings.  
“You're as bad as Ron,” said Ginny coldly.  
George seemed to shrink a little under the stare Ginny obviously got from their mother, but opened his mouth defiantly.  
Before he could speak, however, Fred raised his hand. In a peace-keeping tone, he said, “There are different kinds of love, George. Harry probably is the person Sirius cares about the most in the world. That doesn't mean he would be any less attracted to Remus. He loves both of them, one as a godson, one as a best friend, maybe a lover. And Ginny, get your brothers straight. Gred and Feorge is easier on the ears than Gon and Reorge.”  
George and Ginny began to laugh and shared a smile over Fred's head. Across the room, Angelina was struggling to pull a particularly large mass of feathers from her hair. With an exasperated growl and another suspicious look at the twins, she stood and stocked off to the girls dormitory.  
“That's it, Fred,” George cried suddenly. “We need something that will take a while to clear up.”  
Fred grinned excitedly. “How are we doing on those portable swamps?”  
“There's still a bit left when you try to vanish them.”  
Fred shrugged and began to pack up. “All the more work for the old toad.” He looked at Ginny. “You really think Sirius and Remus are shagging?”  
“Hey, one's a dog, one's a wolf, you stir the cauldron,” she replied and laughed at the look on George's face.  
“Now you're just grasping at straws,” he accused.  
“Why are you so sure they're not?” Ginny questioned.  
George seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, before blurting, “I don't think either of them is -- gay!”  
Ginny's eyes sparked, but when she spoke, it was with the air of explaining to a dejected Gryffindor that being sorted into Hufflepuff didn't mean the end of the world. “They could be together without being gay. I think the romantic bond would be more important to them than the label.”  
Fred looked uneasy. “But could there be a romantic bond? Gay or straight, Sirius doesn't seem thoughtful enough for a lasting relationship. You know what happened in their fifth year?”  
They nodded.  
“He put Remus in a lot of danger then, just to get back at Snape. Not very romantic, don't you think?”  
“We still don't know enough about their school days to say,” Ginny reiterated. “They may not have been together at the time, so Sirius was free to be his impulsive self. Or Snape could have even shown interest in Remus and Sirius was jealous.”  
“Snape and Remus?” George looked horrified.  
Ginny shrugged. “Anything's possible when you don't know someone very well.”  
“I suppose,” George mumbled. “But still, what have Sirius and Remus got with each other?”  
“History, for one,” Ginny began. “They grew up together and have similar interests. And they've got more than a house in common now: they're both outcasts for different reasons, which must get very lonely. But they also complement each other. Sirius is reckless, Remus is cautious. Sirius broods, Remus usually tries for optimism. Sirius is wicked confident, Remus is reserved. I think they're a very compatible balance.”  
Silence followed this speech. Both twins looked rather impressed, but George had his mother's obstinacy.  
“That's a lot to risk for a few snogs. I don't think Remus would initiate or agree to it.”  
“You think sex negates friendship?” Ginny challenged. “I mean, yes, things would change between them, but they're much more mature than, say, Ron and Hermione. I see them sharing the kind of romance that would bring them closer together.”  
“I think that argument is the crux of this discussion,” Fred chimed in. “There's something to be said for two people who pick up where they left off after twelve years of distance. They're bonded. We just don't know if romance is a part of that bond.”  
“Speaking of the point of this discussion,” George began, “is this why Harry is so keen to talk to Sirius all of a sudden? And if it is, why now? If Sirius is in love with Remus, wouldn't he want to be honest with his godson, at least?”  
“Not if he thought Harry would have a problem with it,” Ginny replied. “Not if he thought the knowledge would stress Harry even more. Look at how careful everyone has been with him lately, even Sirius.”  
“Harry's more accepting than that,” Fred stated. “He hardly blinked when it came out Hagrid is half-giant. Maybe he does know and is respecting their wishes to keep it quiet. I think Remus, at least, would fear rejection. The world has a hard enough time seeing past his being a werewolf.”  
“Well, we don't know why Harry wants to talk to Sirius,” Ginny reminded them. “Personally, I'm not so sure it's because of this. Between the old toad, You-Know-Who, and OWLs, I reckon he’s got more relevant things on his mind than people’s relationships.”  
There was a pause. Ginny's rubber ball flew a little higher than before so that she had to stand to catch it. When she sat back down, George was looking stubborn again.  
“I still think Remus and Tonks are acting more conventionally romantic lately.”  
It was Ginny's turn to pacify. “I'm not denying that there's something between those two, passionate or forced. But like Fred said, one doesn't exclude the other. If Remus ends up with Tonks in the future, he still could have been with Sirius in the past. And if he's with Sirius, it doesn't mean he can't be with Tonks down the road. He's still quite young.”  
“It's down to Remus, then,” Fred concluded. “Either he's never been with Sirius, or he is and will have to leave him or reject Tonks. But consider this: Remus is the epitome of private. No one's going to know for sure unless he tells them, not even Harry.”  
“Speaking of which ...” George gestured to a table on the opposite side of the room, where Harry was studying what looked to be career pamphlets. “We'd better go talk to him now, Fred.”  
Fred nodded, and after saying good-bye to Ginny, the twins departed.  
With a sigh, Ginny idly began to chase the rubber ball again, practicing for the upcoming match against Ravenclaw. Certainty, she decided, was a lot like a Golden Snitch. Every time you think it's within your reach, a Bludger or Quaffle distracts you and you have to start over, with more tactics to think about than you had before. The only way to catch the Snitch was to pursue it and to keep chasing until it was in your hands. Then, thinking of the Quidditch World Cup last year, she supposed there was still room for ambiguity. There would still be discussion after the game was over, play-by-play recounts of the events that led up to that big finish. And you could bet that there would always be at least two versions of the story.


End file.
